Hadith No. 37 – Sahih al-Bukhari

Salam,

Bismillah.

Once again, something about Ramadaan is related to Faith. :) And you’d be surprised to know what it is..

Volume 1, Book 2, Number 37:

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah’s Apostle said, “Whoever observes fasts during the month of Ramadan out of sincere faith, and hoping to attain Allah’s rewards, then all his past sins will be forgiven.”

Fasting in Ramadaan. Who doesn’t do it? But does this Hadith mean that every person who observes his fasts during Ramadaan will get his sins forgiven? Clearly not. There’s a condition prescribed: whoever does it out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah’s rewards. It sounds easy. Doing is otherwise.

Fasting is something that only Allah can reward us for. No one else can measure our sincerity and Taqwa that we achieve from it. Because no one watches over us the whole day except for Allah. We might take a sip/bite when there’s no one around and still pretend to be fasting. Nobody will even doubt us. But Allah knows, right? That thing that keeps us from doing so is called Taqwa. Fearing Allah even when you’re alone. So fasting is for Allah, and only Allah will reward us for it.

About keeping our intentions straight, here’s a checkpoint:

Do you fast JUST because it is mandatory? Because if you don’t, Allah will punish you? And people will think such and such about you? OR do you fast because you love the one-month drill that gives your Imaan a rush that lasts the whole year? And you want to do something that’ll please Allah, hoping that He’ll forgive you your sins?

Well, we all need to check ourselves in this. And hopefully, when next Ramadaan comes (may Allah keep us alive till then), we’re ready to take maximum benefit from it, inshaAllah. =)

Wassalam.